PHNOM PENH, Aug 26, 2006 (AFP) - French transport minister Dominique Perben met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other top officials Saturday while on a visit here for the opening of a new airport terminal, officials said.
Perben arrived in Cambodia late Friday on a four-day trip to attend the opening of a new international terminal at the airport in Siem Reap, where most tourists arrive to visit the famed Angkor Wat temples.
The French firm Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports (SCA), a subsidiary of the VINCI group, has a contract to operate the airport until 2040. The company also has concessions for the airports in the capital Phnom Penh and in the coastal city of Sihanoukville.
"Airports and tourism are inextricably linked, and this support will help Cambodia develop" its tourism industry, Perben told a press conference.
He said during his meetings with Cambodian officials that he had discussed other ways of boosting tourism, including having more French tour companies operate here.
Tourism is one of Cambodia's most important industries, centered mainly around Angkor Wat.
The government is trying to persuade tourists to stay longer and see sights other than the World Heritage-listed Angkor temples, and has tried to tap into a number of other areas such as eco-tourism.
On Sunday Perben was set to head to Siem Reap to tour Angkor Wat himself, before attending the opening of the new terminal on Monday.
France is Cambodia's second-largest donor after Japan, and French companies are heavily involved in the transport, tourism and telecom sectors.
The two countries officially relaunched bilateral ties in September 2005 when Hun Sen visited Paris and signed a cooperation accord lasting until 2010.
Perben arrived in Cambodia late Friday on a four-day trip to attend the opening of a new international terminal at the airport in Siem Reap, where most tourists arrive to visit the famed Angkor Wat temples.
The French firm Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports (SCA), a subsidiary of the VINCI group, has a contract to operate the airport until 2040. The company also has concessions for the airports in the capital Phnom Penh and in the coastal city of Sihanoukville.
"Airports and tourism are inextricably linked, and this support will help Cambodia develop" its tourism industry, Perben told a press conference.
He said during his meetings with Cambodian officials that he had discussed other ways of boosting tourism, including having more French tour companies operate here.
Tourism is one of Cambodia's most important industries, centered mainly around Angkor Wat.
The government is trying to persuade tourists to stay longer and see sights other than the World Heritage-listed Angkor temples, and has tried to tap into a number of other areas such as eco-tourism.
On Sunday Perben was set to head to Siem Reap to tour Angkor Wat himself, before attending the opening of the new terminal on Monday.
France is Cambodia's second-largest donor after Japan, and French companies are heavily involved in the transport, tourism and telecom sectors.
The two countries officially relaunched bilateral ties in September 2005 when Hun Sen visited Paris and signed a cooperation accord lasting until 2010.
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